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When will the restrictions on freedom of movement be lifted?

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northernchris

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Trouble is right now no one knows when leisure travel will be allowed. I don't see it before late summer so these May cuts are probably justified. I think airport travel will be limited for most of the year
I'd be very surprised if leisure travel wasn't permitted before the start of the May timetable as it's connected to retail and hospitality reopening. Unless Northern are going to max out train formations (and experience has shown they won't) I predict some very busy services.
 

warwickshire

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I'd be very surprised if leisure travel wasn't permitted before the start of the May timetable as it's connected to retail and hospitality reopening. Unless Northern are going to max out train formations (and experience has shown they won't) I predict some very busy services.
Agreed. And they still have Pacers on lease at Heaton T&R.S.M.D Depot. This is a waste of money these could be used son running more services.

I hope Northern see sense and use some Pacers for service strengthening on the Hope Valley line. Because if not some services will be overcrowded and overloaded and not COVID safe.
 
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Starmill

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Trouble is right now no one knows when leisure travel will be allowed. I don't see it before late summer so these May cuts are probably justified.
If something has been stopped from the long term plan it will need to be re-bid for, unlike the services cancelled because of the emergency coronavirus timetables. So if they do want to reverse the withdrawn services they'd likely need to wait until a timetable change.
 

HST43257

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Trouble is right now no one knows when leisure travel will be allowed. I don't see it before late summer so these May cuts are probably justified. I think airport travel will be limited for most of the year
For the first lockdown, non essential travel was banned in England from mid March to mid July, so 4 months.

If we have a similar same 4 month period, we go from late December (when everyone went into tier 3/4) to late April. However, cases and deaths are starting to drop faster due to the vaccine, so I think travel restrictions could be lifted by Easter, which is also when pubs look to be set to open.
 

Glenn1969

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My personal view is Easter is too soon and nothing should start to open until after the end of Phase 1 vaccination in May. Because in the 1st lockdown measures were eased too early and we don't want a 4th lockdown. I also don't see foreign travel until November which severely impacts airport services for the rest of the year unless they introduce vaccine passports
 

infobleep

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My personal view is Easter is too soon and nothing should start to open until after the end of Phase 1 vaccination in May. Because in the 1st lockdown measures were eased too early and we don't want a 4th lockdown. I also don't see foreign travel until November which severely impacts airport services for the rest of the year unless they introduce vaccine passports
What I don't want to see if the country opening up when train companies don't. That may not have this time. Certainly more trains are running on some lines, compared to last summer when non essential shops were open.
 

Bletchleyite

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For the first lockdown, non essential travel was banned in England from mid March to mid July, so 4 months.

Was it that long? I'm pretty sure the "stay at home" was dropped earlier than that, wasn't it? You couldn't stay overnight, but you could do as long a day trip as you wanted. I do recall some quite long day-trips to cycle a fairly large number of old railway routes, and I'm fairly sure that was much earlier than July, perhaps May?

The non-essential travel by public transport did last quite long, though. I doubt that'll happen the same way this time because I think the inclusivity issue it caused has been realised.
 

HST43257

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The non-essential travel by public transport did last quite long, though. I doubt that'll happen the same way this time because I think the inclusivity issue it caused has been realised.
This is what I’m referring to. Before that (since mid June I think) you were allowed to drive anywhere you wanted but public transport was only for if car/bike wasn’t possible. Stay at home was dropped in mid June as well I think, substituted for Stay Alert IIRC.
 

Nicholas Lewis

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My personal view is Easter is too soon and nothing should start to open until after the end of Phase 1 vaccination in May. Because in the 1st lockdown measures were eased too early and we don't want a 4th lockdown. I also don't see foreign travel until November which severely impacts airport services for the rest of the year unless they introduce vaccine passports
Measures weren't released too early they were proportionate with the virus being in decline. The failure came in late summer to react early when the virus started growing again. This time the virus is reducing at a faster rate than wave one even the lockdown leader Edmunds is acknowledging that. Caution does need to be the watchword and i want to see Boris layout the criteria that need to fulfilled before each stage of relaxation the dating of it can then be dynamic not the fixed dates everyone keeps going on about. For instance if in the previous 7 days case rates were consistently below x/100k then move to this stage.
 

Watershed

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Was it that long? I'm pretty sure the "stay at home" was dropped earlier than that, wasn't it? You couldn't stay overnight, but you could do as long a day trip as you wanted. I do recall some quite long day-trips to cycle a fairly large number of old railway routes, and I'm fairly sure that was much earlier than July, perhaps May?

The non-essential travel by public transport did last quite long, though. I doubt that'll happen the same way this time because I think the inclusivity issue it caused has been realised.
The restriction changed from being unable to leave home without a reasonable excuse, to being unable to stay away overnight without a reasonable excuse, on 1 June 2020. That was 67 days after the initial restrictions were imposed on 26 March 2020.

67 days from 6 January 2021, when Tier 4 was strengthened and expanded to cover all of England, would take us to 14 March 2021 - that wouldn't be totally out of kilter with the timescales that are currently being rumoured.

That said, I wouldn't read too much into any of these analogies - Covid is clearly a seasonal disease and spreads better during the cold winter months. Therefore it's quite foreseeable that the current lockdown (in terms of the 'stay at home' restriction) will last more than 67 days.
 

Baxenden Bank

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The restriction changed from being unable to leave home without a reasonable excuse, to being unable to stay away overnight without a reasonable excuse, on 1 June 2020. That was 67 days after the initial restrictions were imposed on 26 March 2020.

67 days from 6 January 2021, when Tier 4 was strengthened and expanded to cover all of England, would take us to 14 March 2021 - that wouldn't be totally out of kilter with the timescales that are currently being rumoured.

That said, I wouldn't read too much into any of these analogies - Covid is clearly a seasonal disease and spreads better during the cold winter months. Therefore it's quite foreseeable that the current lockdown (in terms of the 'stay at home' restriction) will last more than 67 days.
"Anyone can travel on public transport" was not the message until 17 July, so even longer. My local train service did not return to normal until early September.

The key question is how long it will take operators to react to any relaxation (with good reason - staff rota etc). Timetables were only reduced around 25th January 2021 for a lockdown that commenced on the 5th.
 

Watershed

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"Anyone can travel on public transport" was not the message until 17 July, so even longer. My local train service did not return to normal until early September.

The key question is how long it will take operators to react to any relaxation (with good reason - staff rota etc). Timetables were only reduced around 25th January 2021 for a lockdown that commenced on the 5th.
The messaging has borne little resemblance to the law ever since the pandemic started. Even now there are claims you should only travel to work if you are a key worker.

The current timetable reductions are 'inspired' by DfT edicts. It will be for the DfT to decide when a more intensive timetable resumes.
 

yorkie

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"Anyone can travel on public transport" was not the message until 17 July, so even longer. My local train service did not return to normal until early September.
While there was no public transport restriction per se (the only restrictions relate to reasons you can leave the home, during periods when such restrictions have applied) though some train companies did try their best to discourage travel until June or July, but there was never any such restriction.

Even TfW who were very vocal in implying there were restrictions admitted there were no such restrictions whatsoever.
 

yorksrob

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My personal view is Easter is too soon and nothing should start to open until after the end of Phase 1 vaccination in May. Because in the 1st lockdown measures were eased too early and we don't want a 4th lockdown. I also don't see foreign travel until November which severely impacts airport services for the rest of the year unless they introduce vaccine passports

I've never seen any evidence that the first lockdown was released too quickly. This is a misnomer being put about by the pro-lockdown faction. The opening up of outdoor activities, followed by non essential shops, followed by hospitality had no bearing on the drop in infections across the vast majority of the country.
 
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yorkie

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I've never seen any evidence that the first lockdown was released to quickly. This is a misnomer being put about by the pro-lockdown faction. The opening up of outdoor activities, followed by non essential shops, followed by hospitality had no bearing on the drop in infections across the vast majority of the country.
Absolutely.
 

HST43257

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While there was no public transport restriction per se (the only restrictions relate to reasons you can leave the home, during periods when such restrictions have applied) though some train companies did try their best to discourage travel until June or July, but there was never any such restriction.

Even TfW who were very vocal in implying there were restrictions admitted there were no such restrictions whatsoever.
There was a very strong Essential Travel Only message across nearly all TOC sites that I saw
 

yorkie

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There was a very strong Essential Travel Only message across nearly all TOC sites that I saw
That was just something they said to put people off. The worst of these was TfW who persisted in this message long after most TOCs had given it up; even they confirmed in an FOI response that anyone could travel for any reason; see:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ys-allowed-or-not.206316/page-19#post-4736862
...It was not our policy to enforce the types of journeys people were making on TfW services....
 

geoffk

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Was it that long? I'm pretty sure the "stay at home" was dropped earlier than that, wasn't it? You couldn't stay overnight, but you could do as long a day trip as you wanted. I do recall some quite long day-trips to cycle a fairly large number of old railway routes, and I'm fairly sure that was much earlier than July, perhaps May?

The non-essential travel by public transport did last quite long, though. I doubt that'll happen the same way this time because I think the inclusivity issue it caused has been realised.
On 23rd June I had a trip into Manchester on an almost empty train and rode the new tram line to the Trafford Centre, also very quiet. This wasn't an essential journey. Main line steam began again on 15th July.
 

birchesgreen

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I resumed leisure train travel June 20 last year, I know some folk on here started a few weeks before that.
 

Ianno87

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On 23rd June I had a trip into Manchester on an almost empty train and rode the new tram line to the Trafford Centre, also very quiet. This wasn't an essential journey. Main line steam began again on 15th July.

I resumed leisure train travel June 20 last year, I know some folk on here started a few weeks before that.

It was 16th July or so that most TOCs (finally) ditched the essential travel / key worker / "can you travel another way?" messaging, which was my cue to resume travel.
 

infobleep

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I thought it was later than 16th July but maybe I'm misremembering.

One thing is for sure, they didn't provide a useful service for all passengers on all lines from that date. In fact on one route, one Sunday in early September, Reading to Gatwick Airport, they had to introduce some last minute Redhill to Gatwick Airport only shuttles because Govia Thameslink Railway were only running one service per hour due to engineering works and the only services from Reading were terminating at Redhill. That arrived in about 2 minute after the GTR service departed.

I think they must have out some passengers in taxis before the afternoon shuffle services started, rather than making them wait 1 hour.

One thing is for sure, that won't happen again as this time they haven't cut the Reading to Gatwick Airport services.
 

Bikeman78

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I thought it was later than 16th July but maybe I'm misremembering.

One thing is for sure, they didn't provide a useful service for all passengers on all lines from that date. In fact on one route, one Sunday in early September, Reading to Gatwick Airport, they had to introduce some last minute Redhill to Gatwick Airport only shuttles because Govia Thameslink Railway were only running one service per hour due to engineering works and the only services from Reading were terminating at Redhill. That arrived in about 2 minute after the GTR service departed.

I think they must have out some passengers in taxis before the afternoon shuffle services started, rather than making them wait 1 hour.

One thing is for sure, that won't happen again as this time they haven't cut the Reading to Gatwick Airport services.
I did my first trip on the valleys in early July. I was the only person on 143616 non stop from Cardiff to Ponty. Aside from the masses going to Barry Island, the valleys were still very lightly loaded. Lots of essential only messages blasted out over the PA. I went to London mid July. I don't recall any essential only messages on that trip but trains mainly still lightly loaded. Two weeks later they were much busier.
 

Gadget88

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Do people see every country doing vaccine passports to move around or will it be a handful?
 

317 forever

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I would have thought that, provided our reason for being outside our home was acceptable, our reason for travel would be acceptable. So from Monday, when we are allowed to meet 1 friend outside, we should surely be allowed to travel anywhere for the day (though not yet an overnight stay) to meet them?
 

Watershed

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I would have thought that, provided our reason for being outside our home was acceptable, our reason for travel would be acceptable. So from Monday, when we are allowed to meet 1 friend outside, we should surely be allowed to travel anywhere for the day (though not yet an overnight stay) to meet them?
The law won't explicitly say so (and certainly the guidance and public messaging will remain "stay at home"), but for all intents and purposes yes.
 

johnnychips

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So from Monday, when we are allowed to meet 1 friend outside...
You mean we aren’t now? Try telling this to everybody in any town or city. I have no problem with anybody not following this rule at all but it illustrates that politicians either have no reality about what is going on in real life, or only relax ‘rules’ that are widely broken anyway to satisfy the Karens in their rural and suburban idylls, twitching their curtains, that there is an illusion of enforcement.
 

island

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Enforcement has been haphazard at every stage. It punishes those who are law-abiding and causes their frustrations at the restrictions increase, to the point where they eventually conclude that “everyone else is doing it so I shall as well” or decide that they will just ignore the rules in favour of “common sense”.
 

Mag_seven

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Enforcement has been haphazard at every stage. It punishes those who are law-abiding and causes their frustrations at the restrictions increase, to the point where they eventually conclude that “everyone else is doing it so I shall as well” or decide that they will just ignore the rules in favour of “common sense”.

I'm sure that was an argument that SAGE used right at the start of the Pandemic to caution against imposing restrictions too early as people would soon tire of them.
 
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